Birthdays

How can it be that this little guy is 4?!?!  Where does time go?  He is so excited he can hardly stand it.  For him, being 4 opens a whole new world.  He is ready to leave the 3 year old life behind (I'm not exactly sure what he has in mind).  A couple of weeks ago when we started talking about his birthday his first question was "When I'm 4 can I do dangerous things?"  "Um....no" was my answer.  I'm certain there are a few things that won't change right away like him wanting his mommy to dress him (unless he has a good reason to get dressed fast and I try to find lots of those) and asking us "Can I pick you up?"  He is so stinkin cute and I wish I could keep him at 3 forever - well, most days.

This guy turned 9 a couple of weeks ago.  That left us sad at the thought of him being home with us for only 9 more years.  In the Guatemalan culture it's common for kids to live at home past 18 since most never finish school let alone go to college.  They even get married (or not) and bring their spouses/boyfriend/girlfriend to live at home with them.  If they do get their own place it's usually close by their parents and other family members.  I love that way of life.  I love the idea of our boys being close to us even though that probably won't happen.  Anyway, Juanito (Jon's Guatemalan name) has not changed a bit being 9 and is lives a life covered in dirt.  He misses home alot but I think the dirt makes him feel better. :)  However, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5:00 - 7:00pm Juanito wears WHITE for karate.    Well, he starts out wearing white but doesn't come home as white as when he left.  I was hoping the instructor would choose black uniforms but I don' have that kind of luck.